{"id":2042,"date":"2026-05-24T07:14:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T07:14:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jmsc6110a.com\/capstone2026\/?p=2042"},"modified":"2026-05-29T15:08:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T15:08:28","slug":"more-than-just-waste-inside-hong-kongs-growing-e-waste-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jmsc6110a.com\/capstone2026\/more-than-just-waste-inside-hong-kongs-growing-e-waste-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than Just Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”More Than Just Waste” subhead=”Inside Hong Kong\u2019s Growing E-waste Problem” header_fullscreen=”on” background_overlay_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0.54)” admin_label=”Title” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” title_font=”Lato|700|||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_font_size=”42px” title_line_height=”1.5em” subhead_font=”Lato||||||||” subhead_text_align=”center” subhead_font_size=”26px” background_image=”https:\/\/jmsc6110a.com\/capstone2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4Banner-image-Dismantled-electronics-waiting-to-be-shipped-off-at-WEEE-Park-Photo-by-Shirley-Bao-Lan-scaled.jpg” parallax=”on” title_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ content_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

by Bao Lan<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” disabled_on=”on|on|off” sticky_enabled=”0″ da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”|150px||150px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n


<\/span>I<\/span><\/span>n today\u2019s economy, buying new is often easier than keeping the old.<\/p>\n

In 2025 alone, the world bought 1.25 billion<\/a> smartphones and 220 million laptops.<\/p>\n

But we are far better at buying things than dealing with what happens after. By 2050, annual global waste is expected to reach 3.8 billion tonnes<\/a> \u2014 enough to build nearly 700 Great Pyramid of Giza from rubbish alone. <\/p>\n

Hong Kong is no exception.<\/p>\n

Government figures<\/a> show Hong Kong produced around 11,100 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily in 2024. According to government estimates, Hong Kong\u2019s landfills are expected to be exhausted in 2026.<\/p>\n

The pressure has pushed the government to focus more on waste reduction and recycling, investing in everything from landfill extensions to waste treatment facilities.<\/p>\n

Yet even as the city spends more to manage its waste, one category continues to grow faster than the system can keep up: electronic waste<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is one of the fastest-growing waste streams worldwide, covering discarded electronics with a battery or plug, from household appliances such as refrigerators to personal devices like phones.<\/p>\n

The world generated an estimated 62 million tonnes of e-waste in 2022 \u2014 the equivalent of around 1.55 million fully loaded trucks, enough to wrap around the Earth\u2019s equator if lined up end to end \u2014 according to the 2024 Global E-waste Monitor.<\/p>\n

Asia accounted for nearly half of that total. In Hong Kong, the scale is particularly striking. The city produced more than 20 kilograms of e-waste per person in 2022, the highest in Asia.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]